Fire leaves O’Fallon apartment uninhabitable

No one was injured in a fire Wednesday afternoon in a two-bedroom apartment in O’Fallon, but damage from the blaze left the unit uninhabitable, O’Fallon Fire Chief Brent Saunders said.

“The residents were not home when the fire occurred,” Saunders said.

Firefighters were dispatched at 12:26 p.m. to the Chevy Chase Apartments at 802 Estate Drive.

“We had all the flames out within about 10 minutes, but by 1 p.m., the fire was under control,” Saunders said. “We had some hot spots still and had to check into extension of the fire into the attic and the adjoining unit walls.”

Saunders said the adjoining units were cleared as a precautionary measure due to the “smoke next door,” but there was no structural damage to the building.

“We were wrapped up by 2:30 p.m.,” Saunders said.

How many people lived in the apartment is unknown. Sharis Walker, property manager for the apartment complex, would only say that the apartment was being rented. No other tenants were displaced by the fire, she said.

Saunders said the fire department will work with the property owner’s insurance company for an official report on cause.

“But, we believe the cause was electrical in nature,” Saunders said.

“We’re unsure now what caused it,” said Walker. “We’re waiting on the report.”

This story was originally published September 20, 2017 at 4:54 PM with the headline "Fire leaves O’Fallon apartment uninhabitable."